The present application relates generally to a method and apparatus of cooking bacon, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for cooking bacon bits in their own fat.
The popularity of pre-cooked bacon bits has provided a need for improved methods of manufacturing high quality, large volume pre-cooked bacon bits. A number of prior art methods are available for cooking bacon bits.
One method of commercially making bacon bits is to cook the bacon bits in a kettle in batches. Such cooked bacon bits have a fat content of about 15% and a moisture content of about 30%. This cooking process has a yield of about 20-25% for every pound of raw material. Although this method produces bacon bits with a relatively high moisture content, the yield is relatively low and the product has relatively low flavor. Additionally, for commercial production, a continuous process is preferable over this batch process.
Another technique used for cooking bacon bits is to cook the bacon bits in oil, either vegetable oil or bacon fat. The product cooked using this technique produces a finished product which has a very good taste since it cooks in oil. However, this cooking technique has the problem of nitrosamine formation. This results in cooking bacon in bacon fat which is heated to high temperatures over long periods of time (for example, 375.degree. F. over more than four hours). Bacon fat heated to these high temperatures for these long periods of time results in the breakdown of the nitrite in the bacon fat, thereby resulting in the high nitrosamine formation. This is a concern since nitrosamines are considered carcinogenic. In addition, this technique results in a product with relatively low moisture content and a relatively low yield.
Another available method of cooking bacon, including bacon bits, uses a microwave technique. For example, a method of cooking bacon using microwave techniques is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,756 (Olander et al).
Microwave techniques have the advantage of being able to cook the bacon in a continuous process. The resultant product also has good flavor. The product which results from such microwave cooking, however, has a fat content of about 40% and a moisture content of about 10% (relatively low). This process also has a yield of about 20-25% for every pound of raw material (relatively low).
Therefore, in view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost, high yield method of cooking bacon bits in a continuous process.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a continuous method and apparatus for cooking bacon bits which will result in bacon bits having good taste without the dangers of high nitrosamine formations.